I am a grandchild of the Great Depression and a survivor of more recent recessions. Through my grandparents and parents, I've learned to spend wisely and to save while still being able to live life well. I want to share my discoveries with you and hear yours. Read more about this blog.

It’s major gift-giving time and that means wrapping, unless you put all your gifts in bags.

Decorative bags are easier but I usually try to give everyone on my list at least one package to unwrap.

Over the next few days, I’ll share some of my wrapping-related tips for saving money.

The first is to check the square feet on a roll of wrapping paper before you buy it. Sometimes the price is low because you’re not getting all that much paper.

One year, I eagerly grabbed up the dollar paper because I thought it was just as pretty as the $1.50 rolls. Then I discovered that the cheaper rolls only had half the paper, or 20 square feet. The $1.50 rolls had 40 square feet, making them the better buy.

The same goes for Christmas lights. When comparing prices on strands, don’t forget to also look at the length and how many bulbs you’re getting.